Expandable garment waistband

ABSTRACT

An expandable waistband for a garment. Resilient expandable strips at slits in the waistband expand to accommodate stresses caused by movement of the wearer or by changes in the wearer&#39;&#39;s girth. These strips may be pivotally retracted from the waistband for ease of installation or alteration.

United States Patent [191 Forrest Nov. 19, 1974 [54] EXPANDABLE GARMENT WAlSTBAND 1,048,633 12/1912 Zurn 2/237 Inventor: Sanford I. Forrest, 8002 y 2,599,983 6/1952 Fanning 2/237 Pikesville, Md. 21208 [22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1973 Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter [21] Appl. No.: 414,899

' Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 298,256, Oct. 17, ABSTRACT 1972, Pat. No; 3,800,332.

An expandable waistband for a garment. Resilient ex- [52] US. Cl. 2/237 pandable strips at slits in the waistband expand to ac- [51] Int. Cl. A4lf 9/00 commodate stresses caused by movement of the [58] Field of Search 2/237, 236, 220, 221, 76 wearer or by changes in the wearers girth. These strips may be pivotally retracted from the waistband [56] References Cited for ease of installation or alteration.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1911 Schmitz 2/237 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEL, HEY I 9 I974 sumaor 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present application is a continuation-in-part of the copending parent application, Ser. No. 298,256, filed Oct. 17, 1972 now US. Pat. No. 3,800,332 dated Apr. 2, l974.

The present invention relates generally to a selfadjusting waistband for trousers, skirts, and similar garments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waistband which is neat in appearance and provides support and yet accommodates minor variation in the wearers girth.

Conventional high quality factory-made trousers are usually manufactured to accommmodate a range of physical dimensions. The finished product can be purchased off the rack and adjusted to fit the purchaser in a series of relatively minor tailoring steps. With respect to the waist and hip adjustments, these steps involve either the taking in or letting out of one or more stitched seams in the garment.

Adjusting the trouser to fit and yet maintaining a proper drape to the garment is complicated somewhat by human physiognomy and by present-day considerations of style which tend toward a relatively close fitting garment. Two of the most important considerations are that the garment remain relatively flat in appearance in the front and that there be an excess of material in the rear of the garment allowing freedom of movement when the wearer is stooping or sitting.

The most common means for supporting a garment at the waist is a belt threaded through a series of loops around the waist of the garment. Belts tend to bunch the waistband of a garment, however, and have traditionally been viewed as stylistically undesirable, but necessary in that there was no other adequate substitute. Indeed, the art is repleat with prior attempts to substitute a built-in support system in place of the belt and loop system. All such attempts have proved unsatisfactory in that they have failed to solve the problem of providing an efficient, neat-appearing system that could be adapted to mass-produced off-the-rack clothing.

One example of such an attempt is illustrated in U. S. Pat. No. 2,599,983 to Fanning. Fanning discloses a garment having a break in the waistband at the side pockets. An elastic band telescopically connects the two sections of the waistband defined bythe break. Thus the wearers movement is accommodated by the pockets opening and closing. The Fanning device has proved unsatifactory in that it exposes the pocket lining to view when the waist is expanded. Additionally,the device is not well adapted to modern close fitting garmentsand to conventional pocket styles.

Another example of a prior art device is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 1,048,633 to Zurn, which discloses a beltless waistband utilizing an elastic support between the garments side seam and a rear seam (or darting) above the pants rear pocket. Like Fanning, Zurn presents an unsightly pocket when the waist is expanded. Moreover, the relatively long length of elastic in the waistband tends to promote unsightly bunching in the elastic-containing waistband of the garment.

US. Pat. No. 993,886 to Schmitz illustrates a waistband having an expandable elastic strip at a slit near the rear panel of a pair of trousers. One end of the waistband is telescoped within another, and a piece of elastic joins the two waistband ends together. In this structure the male portion of the waistband is necessarily smaller than the female portion. The resulting terraced" appearance is not aesthetically pleasing, nor does the Schmitz apparatus offer an optimum distribution of forces when the waistband is placed under stress.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an expandable waistband for a waist supported garment. A pair of relatively small elastic members are sewn to a curtain disposed intermediate the wearer and the rear waistband of the garment at respective slits therein. The support system is both easy to install and does not detract from the physical appearance of the finished garment because of bunching at the waist.

Bunching is avoided by installing the elastic members in the waist with the slits in a normally closed (substantially vertical) position and with no stress on the elastic member. When the waist of the garment is placed under stress, the elastic expands and the slit assumes a V-shape to accommodate the forces.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the elastic strip is coated with fabric of a design similar to that of the garment itself. This serves to camouflage the V-shaped opening and to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance in the waistband of the garment. The present invention differs from the waistband disclosed in the copending parent application in that the stitching for securing the elastic strip attaches the strip, not to the rear panel of the garment itself, but to an inner curtain, which permits pivotal retraction of the elastic strip for ease of installation, alteration, and adjustment.

The present waistband support system is likewise easily installed by tailoring personnel trained in the alteration of conventional off-the-rack garments. For example, one of the normal adjustments in a tailoring op eration for trousers includes an adjustment at the back seams or darts above the rear pockets of the garment. The present invention involves a similar operation, except that an elastic panel is secured at this location rather than securing the seams themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a garment having a waistband manufactured in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the waistband slits of the present invention in an expanded position.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the waistband slits of FIG. 2 in a closed position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a waistband slit of the present invention, viewed from inside the garment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a waistband slit of the present invention taken from outside the garment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 4, showing, in phantom, pivotal retraction of the curtain, stiffener, and strip.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS. l3 illustrate garment or trousers having a front fabric panel 12 and a rear fabric panel 13 joined at side seams 14, 14a (latter not shown). Trousers 10 has a waistband 11 formed in a peripheral edge portion 16 of panels 12, 13.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, waistband 11 has a pair of discontinuations or slits 15, a in rear panel 13, defining respective waistband forward sections 34, 34a and a waistband rearward section 35. Slits 15, 15a, above rear pockets 51, 51a, are normally in a closed position (FIG. 3) but expand to accommodate an increase in the waistline of the wearer when stooping, sitting, or the like (FIG. 2). Application of such stresses results in slits 15, 15a, expanding to a V-shape as illustrated at 17, 17a exposing elastic means or strip 18, 18a, therebeneath.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, a curtain 19, coextensive with waistband 11, is secured against inside surface 20 of rear panel 13 by top stitching 21. Curtain 19 is manufactured of an inner facing 23 and an outer facing 22 joined together at curtain stitch 25. A waistband stiffener 24, disposed between curtain 19 and inside surface 20 of rear panel 13, is secured to curtain 19 by stitching 21.

Elastic strip 18 comprises an elastic band 29 having a fabric coating 28 attached thereto by zig-zag stitching 30. Zig-zag stitching 30 allows stretching of elastic band 29 under fabric coating 28 without tearing of the stitching.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, strip 18 has a base portion 32 attached to curtain 19 by base stitching 33. Referring particularly to FIG. 6, since base stitching 33 does not also attach base portion 32 to waistband 11 as in the invention disclosed in the copending parent application, curtain 19 and strip 18 may be pivotally retracted from their normal position when the garment is worn, i.e. adjacent the inner surface of waistband 11. Likewise, both forwardly extending portion 38 and rearwardly extending portion 39 of strip 18 are attached respectively to curtain 19 by radial stitches 41, 41a. Similarly to base stitching 33, radial stitches 41, 41a do not attach strip 18 to the inside surface 20 of rear panel 13 as in the copending parent application, which permits pivotal retraction of the curtain stiffener and elastic strip for ease of installation, alteration and adjustment, as shown in FIG. 6.

When stress is applied to waistband 11 by movement of the wearer, etc., slits 15, 15a expand in response to the urging of elastic band 29 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5. These expansion forces are distributed along radial stitches 41, 41a.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a garment having attached front and rear fabric panels, each of said panels having respective inside and outside surfaces, a waistband in a peripheral edge portion of said attached panels, a curtain co-extensive with said waistband on said inside surfaces of said panels, a vertical slit in said rear panel, through said waistband and curtain, said slit defining a waistband forward section and a waistband rearward section, the improvement comprising:

elastic means at said vertical slit between said waistband and said curtain, said elastic means having a forwardly extending portion, a rearwardly extending portion, and a base;

means for securing said base of said elastic means to said curtain;

means for attaching said forwardly extending portion and said rearwardly extending portion of said elastic means to said curtain whereby said slit is urged by said elastic means to a normally closed position;

a fabric coating for covering said elastic means, said fabric coating of design similar to that of said garment; and

means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means.

2. A garment according to claim 1, further including:

without tearing said expandable stitching means. 

1. In a garment having attached front and rear fabric panels, each of said panels having respective inside and outside surfaces, a waistband in a peripheral edge portion of said attached panels, a curtain co-extensive with said waistband on said inside surfaces of said panels, a vertical slit in said rear panel, through said waistband and curtain, said slit defining a waistband forward section and a waistband rearward section, the improvement comprising: elastic means at said vertical slit between said waistband and said curtain, said elastic means having a forwardly extending portion, a rearwardly extending portion, and a base; means for securing said base of said elastic means to said curtain; means for attaching said forwardly extending portion and said rearwardly extending portion of said elastic means to said curtain whereby said slit is urged by said elastic means to a normally closed position; a fabric coating for covering said elastic means, said fabric coating of design similar to that of said garment; and means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means.
 2. A garment according to claim 1, further including: a pair of rear pockets on said rear panel; and each said rear pocket having said vertical slit above said pocket.
 3. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means comprises expandable stitching means, whereby said elastic means under said fabric coating may stretch without tearing said expandable stitching means. 